The Fruits of a Servant
If we are a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, we may not often see the fruits of our service or the length it will continue. I am going to tell you the story of a man who served God, and attempt to explain the abundance of continuous fruit that still grows to this day from his serving.
In the late 1980’s I had moved to a city and was still adapting to city life. Having been a martial artist, I began searching for a good traditional martial arts school.
I wasn’t interested in the commercial schools that turned out Black Belts like giving candy at a parade, but an old school traditional instructor with some true martial arts lineage. After a time I found one in a man named John Russell.
John had been the senior student of one of Japan’s most recognized traditional instructors and I soon began my studies under John’s instruction.
Not only was John an accomplished martial artist, but he was a solid Christian man from a Christian family. He was also the smartest man I have ever known.
I have to explain something—at that time in my life I was a very dark-hearted man and driven beyond the understanding of most folks, foul-mouthed and aggressive in speech and mannerisms.
As I began my training, John, through the prompting of the Holy Spirit, never failed to speak to me of God. He would tell me Bible stories, tell me how much Jesus loved me and speak of the prophets.
I quickly became John’s senior student and began to teach my own class, bringing more inexperienced students up to the level they could move into the advanced classes John taught.
During this time I was still continuing my study under John’s instruction and gaining rank. After several years, I reached the milestone of 3rd degree black belt and began teaching my own classes independently, but under the guidance of John.
My personal training had intensified to the point I was working during the day at a welding shop of which I was the shop foreman, then coming home spending some time with my family and then off to the dojo at 7.
I would get home between 9:30 and 10 and begin training at home in my makeshift facility. Most days, John would come by the house and sit with me until very late. (I generally trained until about 1:00 in the morning.).
While John would watch me train, he would correct any minute flaws I might have and more importantly, he would continue to speak to me about God. Bible stories and the life of Christ rang through my head as I would go through kicking drills, punching drills, and weapons training.
One August night in ‘95 John had stopped by, as normal I was doing full strength shin kicks on my training post (a ten foot telephone pole sunk four feet in the ground, supported by 26 bags of concrete, and wrapped in six layers of indoor-outdoor carpet).
John sat and began to tell me the story of David—how as a young man David had killed a lion and a bear, how David ended up killing Goliath, and on up to where David became King of Israel.
Little did I know that God had opened my ears and my heart. After the story, John left to go home and I continued to train, with the story of David running through my mind.
After about 20 minutes (the best I can remember), all of a sudden I just couldn’t breathe. It was like everything that makes your body take a breath just stopped working. For a moment I thought, “Well, this is it. I’m going to die.” I didn’t know if I was having a stroke or my heart had stopped, but I sure felt I was soon to be dead!
Surprisingly, I wasn’t panicking. I was just trying to understand what was happening. I began to walk around my yard for a brief moment when this great feeling of guilt came over me.
It was like I was convicted of every ugly thing I had ever done and they became a huge weight on my heart. I fell on my knees in my front yard. I knew that Jesus was the only way this would go away, and I began weeping profusely.
I could breathe again, but at the time had not realized that yet. I began crying out to Jesus to save me and asking for forgiveness, pouring out my heart in repentance. A calm came over me and then I realized I was breathing.
I felt very different—my compulsion to train had gone. Like I said, I usually trained till about 1:00 in the morning and it was just before midnight. I stayed there on my knees for a time before I realized I had just been saved by the Blood of my Lord Jesus Christ. I was off work the next day and went into a business I frequented.
I knew the owner well and considered him a friend. As I walked up to the counter, James asked in a curious tone, “What is different about you? Did you get a hair cut?” I told him no, and he again said something was different but he just couldn’t place what it was.
My mind was amazed! I realized that somehow he could see this Salvation (what he saw was the darkness had been replaced by the Light of the Lord.) I looked at him and said, “James, I was saved last night.” He came from around the counter and hugged me and looked at me with a big smile and told me “I’m glad, Brother.” Other miraculous things happened during this time as well, but I won’t try to tell of them in this writing.
Nine days later, John baptized me in a swimming pool in front of family and my closest friends. Not long afterwards, I began attending a church in our community with my wife and we became active members. We began to work with the youth and maintained and grew in our faith.
Four years later, I received a job offer out of state and we moved. It took some time to find another Church home but we did.
After a short while I began teaching a men’s Sunday school class and began to preach messages from time to time. I returned to teaching Martial Arts again but this time it was a Christian martial arts school. I would teach a Bible lesson or tell a Bible story at every class, just as John had done for me.
I continued to grow in my faith, and John was still very much involved in my martial arts class. He had moved to Memphis and would visit for belt tests and some special events.
While teaching, there was one student that stood out among others. Not only was Samuel a quick learner in the martial studies, he was an attentive student to the teaching of the Scriptures.
Samuel became my senior student and excelled beyond the rest of the class. Just as John had taught in his classes, I taught the importance of self-discipline, self-motivation, and good moral character, and as is typical, some would absorb the teaching and others would not.
Life marched on and Samuel married a smart and beautiful young Christian girl named Tiffany, and they began a mission effort in Guatemala that consisted of a medical facility, a mountain rescue and medical team, and a Christian girls school. Their Mission is called Ceiba Vida and it is still growing today.
I had a revelation about 3 years ago and fully committed my life to serving God full-time. I have been a Christian writer now for two years, writing teachings and counseling pastors, missionaries, and evangelists.
My writings are translated into Guatemalan and Spanish, and hopefully soon will be translated into Nigerian. I heard last year that many preachers in Guatemala are preaching my writings in churches all across that country.
I follow Samuel and Tiffany’s Mission efforts there and am thrilled to see the service they are doing for God and the effects it is having in that country. There is no way of knowing how many will surrender their lives to Jesus and how many children will grow up in a Christian home because of the girls’ school .
Only God knows how many will dedicate their lives to serve the Kingdom of Heaven through this mission in that small country.
Why do I mention all these things about myself and Samuel and Tiffany? Because everything you have read is the result of John Russell’s service to God. First by discipling me, it continued on and is still growing and has even spread across many thousands of miles.
John had no way of knowing nor would he have ever dreamt of how God would bless his service. John was one of a very small group of men that I can honestly call the greatest men in my life.
In Memoriam to John W. Russell, March 5, 2024. You will be missed greatly and thought of fondly, and memories of you will be cherished all the days of my life!
Thank you, Lord, for this man who led me to the Cross. Amen